, nicknamed "Makochan", is a Japanese former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

. He played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

from 1997 to 2012 for the

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

and

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings, Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific Le ...

Playing career

Imaoka spent several uneventful seasons in the Japanese professional leagues before being chosen as the leadoff batter by Senichi Hoshino, who managed the

from 2002 to 2004. Imaoka won the batting title in 2003 with a .340 batting average, and his team won the

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

pennant the same year. He had previously played shortstop and second base, but was converted to third base in 2004. He continued his hitting prowess, and led the league with 147 RBI in 2005. He fell into a huge slump in 2006, and missed half of the season due to injuries. He won a silver medal playing for the Japanese national team in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

before entering the Japanese professional leagues.

Coaching career

Imaoka spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as the hitting coach for the

. On October 14, 2024, Hanshin announced that Imaoka was leaving the team.

Career statistics

References

External links

1974 births Living people Chiba Lotte Marines players Baseball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Hanshin Tigers players Japanese baseball coaches Nippon Professional Baseball coaches Nippon Professional Baseball infielders Olympic baseball players for Japan Olympic medalists in baseball Olympic silver medalists for Japan Sportspeople from Takarazuka, Hyōgo Baseball people from Hyōgo Prefecture Toyo University alumni Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics {{Japan-baseball-infielder-stub